Coming off one of the most dominating performances in school history, a blowout laugher victory over Gonzaga, the Syracuse Orangemen returned with one of their worst performances in memory. Looking confused and tired, the Butler Bulldogs lulled the Orangeman to sleep on offense and dogged them on defense to gain the 63-59 win and earn it first-ever ticket to the Elite Eight.
Boeheim Has No Excuses For Loss
Butler got rolling early, jumping out to a 12-1 lead as Syracuse turned the ball over 5 times in the first 6:30 of the game. Syracuse then clawed their way back to a 5-point deficit at 17-12 before Butler extended the lead to 35-25 before the end of the half, as the Orange coughed up the ball for 12 first half turnovers.
Syracuse came out roaring to start the second half, going on a 15-4 run that gave them their first lead of the game at 40-39 with 13:29 remaining. Butler hung tough, but Syracuse began to pull away at 54-50 after an Andy Rautins three pointer and Kris Joseph dunk. It looked at that point the top seed would put an end to the Cinderella dreams.
Butler would then stamp out the Orangemen. Ronald Nored and Willie Veasley nailed three pointers and Syracuse began to choke. Andy Rautins would then throw up an anxiety-laden three pointer which amounted to another turnover and Willie Veasley would slam the door shut with an offensive rebound put back with 0:59 left.
So what happened?
There were four major reasons why the Orangemen went down in a heap and to improve upon this disappointing performance, we need to isolate the breakdowns.
Unfriendly Officiating
Syracuse was bewildered right from the beginning as Butler attacked on defense. Averaging just 15 turnovers per game coming into the matchup, Syracuse lost the ball 12 times in the first half and dug themselves a huge hole. The officials made it clear they were going to call the game loosely and Syracuse didn’t respond properly to the muggings that were occuring to Andy Rautins and Wes Johnson. It takes getting the refs attention that things could “get out of hand” to get them to change their lackadaisical whistle blowing. Some simple chest bumping and jawing could have changed the tone. Instead, a team which played pressing man-to-man defense with constant trapping was called for just 15 fouls when they could have easily been whistled 25-30 times.
Boeheim’s Coaching
While Jim Boeheim did some of the best coaching of his career this year, he should hand back the Coach of The Year award after this performance. His team was listless with no answers on offense. With 18 turnovers, their gaffes almost exceeded the field goals they made at 21. Rick Jackson needed Stickum for his hands and Scoop Jardine needed a lesson on team basketball, but Boeheim let it ride. His team could not get it together. They outshot Butler from inside and outside the arc, outrebounded them on the offensive and defensive end and delivered more assists. When your team does all this, dominates every stat and they still lose, a lot of blame goes to the coach. Boeheim simply couldn’t get them out of their funk.
No Transition Game
Syracuse had no running game at all last night. Their offensive style of up-tempo aggression was stopped cold. It seemed as though the players were just out of gas from the beginning. Some will blame this on the altitude in Salt Lake City, but I toss this on a team being tight and scared to lose.
Arinze Onuaku
Missing the pitbull in the center of the offense crushed Syracuse. Rick Jackson showed he was not Onuaku as he was embarrassing over and over on the offensive end. He could not force his way into position and forced the offense to gamble with it ball-handling. With no transition game to speak of, Syracuse needed to push the ball inside and Jackson didn’t answer the call. As Onuaku’s career comes to an end, he will always question whether he should have at least suited up for a just-in-case situation. That situation presented it last night and he was in street clothes. No Willis Reed moment was going to occur.
For Syracuse fans, disappointment comes with the territory of donning orange colored jerseys. Tons of talents with little hardware to show for it. Last night’s lost is another squandered season and rates right up there with other famous Syracuse implosions under Boeheim.
Here’s looking to next season and how they can disappoint again.
This is not your father’s Syracuse Orangeman squad. Those Jim Boeheim teams from the 1980s and 1990s are a thing of the past thanks to the 2010 squad. Those past teams were remembered for going into major funks, losing silly games and not living up to their talent levels. This 2010 team is different.
Boeheim Steers Syracuse Back To #1 Rank
When you look back at some of the great Syracuse teams, most fans look fondly back at the Derrick Coleman, Rony Seikaly and Sherman Douglas years. Unquestionably the most talented Syracuse squads ever with three solid NBA starters that each had 10+ year professional careers. Despite all that talent, they became the face of the struggles of Syracuse Basketball. They will be forever remembered for their NCAA Finals loss to Indiana and Keith Smart’s buzzer-beater.
Very good, but for some reason couldn’t put it all together.
That was personified during the 1987-88 season. After the surprising run the previous season, Syracuse had their three main cogs back and expectations were high. The were christened with the Preseason #1 ranking. The bloom quickly came of the rose, as Syracuse dropped the top ranking after just one week and didn’t deliver as expected.
This 2010 squad is the antithesis of that ‘87-’88 squad. This team came in with zero expectations, picked to finish mid-pack in the Big East and be scrambling to make the NCAA tourney. They are the example as to why you play the games. And the game played on Saturday night just vaulted them back to the top ranking after crushing Villanova.
Syracuse today will garner its first regular season top-ranking since January 2, 1990. Led by Coleman, Billy Owens and Stevie Thompson, Syracuse held the top ranking for 6 weeks before crumbling and getting knocked out of the NCAA tournament during the Sweet 16. Those four seasons between 1986 to 1990 have stuck to Syracuse like glue and have forever labeled Syracuse as the team that couldn’t get it done. Everyone one of those teams found a way to lose.
This year’s squad is different. There are no stars, just players. They are led by a scrappy shooter named Andy Rautins who has no NBA dreams. These final games are his swan song and he plans to be the motor on this team. His play drove the blowout victory over Villanova, as he pushed they ball inside and Syracuse dominated in the paint.
That selfless play is what makes this Syracuse team different.
Boeheim, while a great X and O coach has always struggled to manage his stars. Even during their NCAA Championship run, Syracuse ended the season ranked 13th and were stamped by the sports media as just another team that will disappoint. They just didn’t account for the greatness of Carmelo Anthony that even Boeheim could not interrupt.
Since that championship, Boeheim’s coaching style has changed, due much in part to his national presence on world basketball squads where he has been brought in to teach the pros how to play the 2-3 zone. The experience of rubbing shoulders with other top coaches has helped Boeheim figure out how to get the most out of his players.
This year’s Syracuse team is without question the most complete team in the NCAA and will provide headaches for every team come tournament time. They have no weakness. They can beat you inside or outside. They can push the ball up on offense and can slow you down on defense. There is no one guy who the offense goes through, so they can rely on others when someone is having an off night. And most importantly, they have seven players that can start on pretty much any team in the country.
Its time to get that monkey of the Orangemen’s back as they look to close down the season strong and gain a top-seed in the NCAA tournament.
Jim Boeheim and his Syracuse Orangemen (22-1) just keep rolling, winning their ninth straight game over Providence by a score of 85-68. Kris Joseph came of the bench to lead Syracuse with 23 points and Arinze Onuaku chipped in a season-high 20 points in the blowout victory. Jamine Patterson dropped in 25 points for the Providence Friars (12-10) in the defeat.
Orange Set School Record
The victory set a school record for the best start to a season. The 1979-1980 basketball squad, Boeheim’s fourth season at the helm, got off to a 22-1 before fading down the stretch and getting knocked out of the NCAA Tournament in the Sweet Sixteen round. That team was led by the “Bouie and Louie” show, with Roosevelt Bouie and Louis Orr driving the team along with future NBA player Danny Schayes coming off the bench.
Syracuse once again showed its depth with seven players rotating and getting at least 20 minutes. Joseph and Onuaku were the hot hands on the floor and the Syracuse offense steered the ball in their direction. Joseph was 9 of 11 from the field and a perfect 5 for 5 on the foul line, while Onuaku was 10-12 from the field and was ferociously dominating in the paint.
The famed Syracuse 2-3 zone dominated in the second, busting open the three point lead the Orangeman held at halftime. Opening with a 22-7 run, the Orangemen never looked back and were never seriously threatened thereafter. Syracuse did this without standout forward Wesley Johnson. Midway through the first half, Johnson landed hard on the court after being upended in mid-air for a dunk. Johnson would log just three minutes in the second half.
The difference maker in the game were the little things that don’t always show up on the ESPN highlight show. Leading the team in assists was F/C Rick Jackson with seven assists. Point guards Brandon Triche and Scoop Jardine both finished the game with zero turnovers, keeping the ball in Syracuse hands and limiting Providence in scoring transition baskets.
“It just shows that they’re deep,” Providence coach Keno Davis said. “They’ve got so many guys that can have big games against you. And then their defense. They force you outside. They really understand their defense and they’re pretty physical when you try to rebound. It’s just a deep, physical, talented team.”
Next up for Syracuse, a road game at Cincinnati (14-7) on Sunday where they will look to extend their team record streak to open a season.
Georgetown has historically owned the Syracuse Orangemen when they’ve been at the top of their game, delivering upsets that the Syracuse alumni will never forget. Syracuse has been rated in the Top 5 in four previous games with the Hoyas. The Orangemen’s record in those games is 0-4. John Thompson III invaded the Carrier Dome looking to carry on the legend of his father.
Andy Rautins Leads The Orangemen To Victory
The game kicked off looking like the Hoyas were once again going to deflate Syracuse’s season. Two turnovers and three missed jumpers in the first 3 minutes of the game left Syracuse trailing 14-0, not knowing what hit them. Jim Boeheim rallied his troops for the next 37 minutes for a 31 point turnaround that turned an imminent Syracuse blowout loss into a blowout victory against a highly regarded Hoyas basketball squad.
Boeheim earned his 819th career victory, moving into 6th on the all-time wins list, passing the currently idled Jim Calhoun of Connecticut. The victory was also the team’s 20th, extending Boeheim’s NCAA record of 32 20-plus win seasons in 34 years.
The way the Orangemen won the game was not as Boeheim had charted out. “We recovered from the worst start I can remember,” Boeheim said. “Our defense picked up and our offense got going. To go into halftime ahead was really unbelievable. To dominate a top-10 team after giving them 14 points is quite an effort. That’s as good as we can play. Everybody was looking for each other.”
Very true words.
What makes this Syracuse team intriguing this year is how they are putting away teams with major scoring runs driven by their defense. The offense maintains the run and doesn’t give it back going into scoring lulls. Its the type of basketball you usually don’t see at the college level. Where most teams are driven by a superstar with an NBA future, Syracuse doesn’t feature any one star that is looking beyond his college basketball days.
The comeback against Georgetown was fueled by the stunting 2-3 zone defense that Boeheim and Syracuse have become famous for. But it was their lack of selfishness on offense which was the difference maker. Their seven players rotation shared the ball, with no player on the Syracuse squad taking 10 shots or more from the field.
This selfless display comes on the heels of Syracuse’s definitive victory over Marquette on Saturday. In that game, Syracuse’s second leading scorer Andy Rautins played 36 minutes, taking only 2 shots and scoring no points. A refreshing change by a team leader within a sport where shameless self-promotion is the norm.
After the game, Rautins shrugged off questions from the media about his 0-for-2 performance, focusing instead on his teammates. Rautins noted how well the forwards took advantage of the mismatches down, “If you can’t score in one aspect, you find other ways to win.”
With that type of attitude living in the locker room, the rest of college basketball better take notice. The Orangemen are the most dangerous team in the NCAA.
The 2009-2010 college basketball season was supposed to be a rebuilding year at Syracuse. Jimmy Boeheim lost his star player Jonny Flynn as an NBA Lottery pick and starters Eric Devendorf and Paul Harris made silly decisions to enter the NBA draft only to be passed over, thus losing their NCAA eligibility. Top three scorers, 45 point per game combined, all gone. Boeheim was supposed to be prepping this year’s squad for the NIT.
One month into the season and Boeheim has perhaps done the best coaching job of his Hall of Fame career, leading Syracuse to a 9-0 start. Now, Syracuse has seen starts like this to the season before, ganging up on New York’s second-tier basketball programs in the Carrier Dome, but this year is different. The Orange stacked their early schedule with games against top ranked teams in North Carolina, California and Florida. And they didn’t just win the games, they dominated with double-digit blowouts.
That’s quite a turnaround after Orange fans were fearing for the worst after an exhibition lost to cross-town Lemoyne University, a Division II squad. Granted, it was an exhibition, but the Syracuse bench should have blown them out.
So what’s special about this team?
Very simple…they have bought into the Boeheim system. No matter how you feel about Boeheim and his painful to watch whining on the sidelines, the man is an expert at teaching the 2-3 zone defense and transition offense off the turnover. After their first 8 games, Cuse is holding opposing teams to 61.6 points per game. That is a stunning 10.1 point improvement over last year’s star-stocked squad. The opposing turnovers are up as well, averaging 20.8 versus last year’s 14.4 per game.
The winning trademarks this year have been stunning runs that put games away. Against California, Syracuse put together a 15-4 early in the 2nd half to bury the Golden Bears. The next night they topped that performance by opening the second half with a 22-1 run against the Tar Heels. And against Florida, Cuse piled it on with a 16-4 run in the middle of the second half and then closed it out with a 12-4 run to ice the game.
Uncharacteristic of Syracuse squads, this year’s team is getting contributions from every starter, as well as from its bench. Entering tonight’s game, 8 players were averaging 7.6 ppg or more. And with each victory it seems like a different member steps up. Against Cal it was backup guard Scoop Jardine, against Carolina it was Iowa State transfer Wesley Johnson, and this evening against Florida it was Rick Jackson.
Syracuse fans usually are keeping their fingers crossed as they enter the Big East schedle with hopes that the early season powder puff games are not just getting their hopes up. But given what we are seeing on the floor these days, right now Syracuse looks like a team to be reckoned with in March.
